Dell intros new Latitude business laptops, including a flagship Ultrabook (hands-on)

Fun fact: the XPS 13 Ultrabook we liked so much also happens to be one of Dell's best-selling products. It's been so successful, in fact, that even large corporations have been thinking of issuing it to their employees (you know, instead of all those other black boxes). Of course, they can't really do that -- the XPS 13 wasn't built with businesses' security needs in mind -- but their begging and pleading did get Dell thinking. Why not make something similar that's secure enough to pass muster with the IT guys?

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Dell Latitude 7000 series (hands-on)

That's where the new Latitude 7000 series comes in. Available in 12- and 14-inch screen sizes (the E7240 and E7440), it features a carbon fiber lid similar to what you'll find throughout the XPS line, except here, you'll also get TPM, Intel vPro processors, NFC, a mix of hardware and software encryption, optional fingerprint / SmartCard readers, and compliance with the MIL-STD 810G standard for ruggedness. The three-cell battery is rated for about 8.5 hours of runtime, and it's swappable, too -- good news for road warriors. (If you like, you can get a beefier four-cell instead.) You'll also enjoy a good deal of ports, including full-sized Ethernet and HDMI, along with three USB 3.0 sockets. As for docking, you can pair it with a wireless WiGig dock, but there's also a connector on the bottom that'll fit the company's existing E Docks. All told, despite its ruggedized design, the 12-inch version weighs in at a reasonable 2.99 pounds, with the 14-incher coming in at 3.6. Not bad.

On the inside, the two machines run Haswell processors up to Core i7, along with integrated HD 4400 graphics. Both the 12- and 14-inch models start with 1,366 x 768, anti-glare, non-touch displays, meaning not all of the configurations technically fit the Ultrabook specification. Still, in either case you can upgrade to a full HD Gorilla Glass touchscreen. In the case of the 14-incher, there's a non-touch, matte, 1080p panel available too. Finally, in terms of storage, you get up to a 256GB SSD on the 12-inch model, and either an SSD (up to 256 gigs) or a hybrid hard drive on the 14-inch version.

The 7000 series starts at $1,049 and will be available on September 12th. Additionally, the company also announced two other lines -- the mainstream 5000 series and the entry-level 3000 family -- both of which include 14- and 15-inch models. Like the premium 7000 series, the 5000 (shown above) will be offered with optional Gorilla Glass touchscreens (the 14-inch model goes up to 1,600 x 900, while the 15-incher tops out at 1080p). Under the hood, you get a choice of Haswell processors (Core i3, i5 or i7); optional discrete graphics; a four-, six- or nine-cell battery; and up to either 1TB of HDD storage or a 256GB solid-state drive. Unsurprisingly, too, they're also thinner than the last-gen models they're replacing.

Meanwhile, the 3000 series (pictured directly above) is similar in that it'll be sold with Haswell, optional discrete graphics and a mix of touch- and non-touch displays. Here, though, the optional touchscreens don't go up to 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, and there don't appear to be any SSDs offered. Also, there's no nine-cell battery for those notebooks. Look for all of these soon, with the lower-end 3000-series models arriving September 12th, starting at $599. No word yet on how much the 5000s will cost; just that they're arriving sometime in October.

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Savvy and Stunning: New Dell Latitude Ultrabooks and Laptops Offer World's Best Security and Manageability Combined with Seductive Design

BEIJING, August 27, 2013 - Dell today unveiled the newest additions to its secure, manageable and reliable line of commercial PCs: the Latitude 7000 Series Ultrabooks™, Latitude 5000 Series and Latitude 3000 Series laptops. With this new suite, Dell balances sophisticated design, quality construction and uncompromised durability to offer businesses of all sizes a wide variety of solutions. The Latitude 7000, 5000, and 3000 Series are available with touch display options, leading the way for business touch devices that enable better interaction with customers, enhanced student engagement, improved patient care, and collaboration among knowledge workers.

"These exciting new additions to the Latitude line provide our commercial customers with what they've been asking for by bringing touch capability to the workspace at desirable price points," said Kirk Schell, vice president , commercial computing group at Dell. "The new Latitude 7000 Series builds on the success of the award-winning XPS and Latitude 6430u to redefine the corporate laptop, complete with security, manageability, reliability and beautiful design. And with the Latitude 5000 and 3000 Series, we've addressed the needs of today's dynamic workforce by enabling easy entry into business-class computing."

Most Secure and Most Manageable with Outstanding Reliability
Dell offers the world's most secure commercial laptops and the Latitude 12 and 14 7000 Series are the world's most secure Ultrabooks, with best-in-class Dell Data Protection solutions, comprehensive encryption with Dell Data Protection| Encryption and advanced authentication and leading-edge malware prevention with Dell Data Protection| Protected Workspace. Engineered to help save IT time and money, Dell offers the industry's most manageable commercial PCs with exclusive Intel vPro extensions for remote BIOS management and hard drive wipe, even when systems are powered off, paired with Dell automated tools and utilities for easily deploying, monitoring and updating systems.

Dell's passion for reliability is epitomized by the Latitude commercial PC family. Each Latitude Ultrabook and laptop are crafted using the best materials: brushed aluminum, reinforced magnesium alloy, strong steel hinges, woven carbon fiber, durable powder-coated underside, spill-resistant keyboards and LCD seals. Additionally, all Dell touch-enabled displays offer optimal viewing experiences, touch sensitivity, brightness and durability. The Latitude 7000, 5000 and 3000 Series touch displays offer Corning® Gorilla® Glass NBT™ for up to 10 times higher scratch resistance1 compared to soda lime glass which is the predominant material used in laptop screens throughout the industry. Latitude laptops also come armed with StrikeZone™ shock absorbers, Fast Response Free-Fall sensors and rubber hard drive isolation. For the previous three product generations, the Latitude family has outperformed its competition in third-party durability testing, known as MIL-STD 810G.

New Latitude 7000, 5000, and 3000 Series: Secure, Manageable, Reliable...and Beautiful
The sleek and powerful Latitude 7000 Series are the most secure and manageable Ultrabooks, with outstanding reliability, and epitomize mobility at its finest with business-class style. Touted as the Ultrabook to be loved by IT professionals and end-users alike, and powered by Intel ultra-low voltage processors, these thin, light and beautiful Ultrabooks completely redefine the corporate laptop.
The Dell Latitude 7000 Series Ultrabooks are:

– Made to move, with the 12-inch model starting at just 20 millimeters thin and 1.3kilograms (2.99 pounds)2
– Easy for IT to manage with exceptional integrated management capabilities including Dell-unique Intel vPro extensions and automated tools that plug into Microsoft System Center and Dell KACE
– The world's most secure Ultrabooks with best-in-class endpoint security solutions that include comprehensive encryption, advanced authentication and leading-edge malware protection from a single source, and featuring the highest level of FIPS 140-2 (level 3) certification for system disk encryption
– Designed for reliability, passing rigorous third-party durability testing and crafted with premium materials such as aluminum, a Tri-metal chassis and Corning Gorilla Glass NBT for scratch and damage resistance and optimal brightness
– The only corporate Ultrabook designed to be backwards compatible with existing (E-) Latitude docks
– Available with innovative WiGig wireless docking, making Dell Ultrabooks the first and only that let you connect your display and other peripherals without messy cords

Complementing the Dell Latitude 7000 Series Ultrabooks are the new Latitude 5000 and 3000 Series laptops, designed to help businesses of all sizes adopt secure, manageable and reliable notebooks. The Latitude 14 and Latitude 15 5000 Series are designed to meet most workforce needs with 14.1-inch or 15.6-inch display options and other key features, such as:

The Latitude 3000 Series is Dell's newest line of entry-level commercial laptops for education and small business customers. The Latitude 14 and 15 3000 Series laptops offer:

– Durable and reliable chassis that have undergone Highly Accelerated Life Testing, including hinge testing, keyboards and shocks
– 4th Generation Intel Core processors with Turbo Mode for fast data processing
– Business class discrete graphics with up to 2GB3 video memory for more processing power and a higher quality visual experience
– Thin (21 to 25mm) and light ( starting at 4.3lbs / 1.55kg)2 design for great mobility
– Choice of 14-inch and 15.6-inch Anti-Glare LCD for comfortable visualization and optional touch displays
– Integrated microphone and HD Webcam for remote collaboration and interaction

Pricing and Availability
The Dell Latitude 7000 Series begins at $1,049 USD and is available worldwide today with touch-enabled systems available September 12, 2013. The Latitude 3000 Series begins at $599 USD and is also available on September 12, 2013. The Latitude 5000 Series will be available in October 2013.